Reports: Kaepernick will start vs. Saints

NEW ORLEANS — It’s officially official: Colin Kaepernick will start this afternoon against the Saints.

Two days after Jim Harbaugh declined to publicly announce his starting quarterback, ESPN and the Sacramento Bee confirmed the second-year signal-caller will make his second straight start. On Wednesday, Sports Illustrated initially reported Harbaugh had informed Smith of the decision to stick with Kaepernick on the heels of his 243-yard, two-touchdown performance in a 32-7 win over the Bears on Monday. On Friday, Harbaugh termed that report “not factual.”

Smith is expected to be active and serve as the second-string quarterback after sustaining a concussion on Nov. 11. On Friday, Harbaugh said Smith had taken his final post-concussion test and had not experienced any symptoms since Tuesday. He said the eight-year veteran would “be cleared (Saturday), if there’s no symptoms.”